Interview with Barbara Dickson ahead of her tour

She has escaped what she sees as ‘the pinnacle of stardom’, which has allowed her to have a private life and gently walked through her career.

Barbara burst into the public consciousness when she appeared in John, Paul, George, Ringo … and Bert at Liverpool’s Everyman Theatre in 1974.

The shows success was followed by Barbara getting her first hit single, ‘Answer Me’, which was released early in 1976.

A year later she had a hit record with ‘Another Suitcase in Another Hall’.

Barbara said she never expected John, Paul, George, Ringo … and Bert to have such an impact on her career as for eight years before this she had been a professional singer on the folk circuit.

She said: “Being in a theatre was a complete departure for me to be working with actors.

“I had never worked with actors before and I had never sung Beatles songs before.

“I had a number of folk bookings which I never fulfilled as I went off in another direction.

“It was all a happy accident.”

Music has always played an important part in Barbara’s life.

It (music) was in the family home either when there was singing or the radio was playing.

She said: “I think my most fondest memory was hearing the Everly Brothers on the radio singing Let it Be Me, when I was eight years old.

“Before that my mother always had the radio on or was listening to records.

“My life has always had music in it.

“I always knew music was important to me not as being a career.

“I enjoyed singing along to songs on the radio or when listening to records as a way of expressing myself.”

This expressing herself goes back to her folk roots and folk tradition.

Folk music is all about talking to the audience, singing songs with a meaning and getting a message across to them.

And this sharing songs and telly stories and talking to the audience is what Barbara loves to do and still incorporates it into her shows.

As Barbara explained it was in the folk clubs where she learnt her craft.

Even when she became a pop star and had all her hits, Barbara said: “I never left folk music even when I was a pop star. I even kept singing folk songs and people would say to me was that in Gaelic.

“I had to tell them it was not Gaelic it was in English and it came from the Isle of Skye.

“Folk music has always been dear to my heart.

“When I left to take up my new route in 1974 (as a result of John, Paul, George, Ringo and Bert) I picked up from where I left off.”

Barbara is now getting ready for a new tour of the UK.

This is something she has not done for two years.

The extensive UK-tour started on February 1.

Barbara will perform with her band, both classic material from her extraordinary canon of music across both pop and folk.

Barbara emerged from the Scottish Folk Revival of the 1960s, to become the biggest selling Scottish female album artist of all time, earning 6 platinum, 11 gold and 7 silver albums.

Known to a wider audience in the 1970s and 1980s with hits including ‘Answer Me’, ‘Another Suitcase in Another Hall’, ‘The Caravan Song’ and ‘I Know Him So Well’, she enjoyed ten years of chart success as a pop star.

And she become an actress appearing in hit dramas such as ‘Taggart’, ‘Band of Gold’ and ‘The Missing Postman’.

As the blurb for the shows says: “After a musical odyssey of 40 years creating music, playing guitar and piano, acting and songwriting this tour is a culmination of her journey thus far, an evening packed with songs from one of the finest voices you will ever hear.

Speaking about the tour, Barbara said; “It is something I have not done for two years.

“This time there are four more dates than last time.

“But I have a lot of discipline and go to bed early, get up early and pace myself to make sure I get through it. I love doing it (singing and touring) and I want to be at my best.”

After a musical odyssey of 40 years creating music, playing guitar and piano, acting and songwriting this tour is a culmination of her journey thus far, an evening packed with songs from one of the finest voices you will ever hear.

Barbara will be in Somerset on March 9, when she will be at the Playhouse Theatre in Western Super Mare.

Tickets cost : £29.50.

Buy online at parkwoodtheatres.co.uk or by calling 01934 645544.